As mobile phones have turned into pocket computers and people, such as our own Granddaughter Number Two, read more and more stuff on their phones, it seems we are all more prone to “doomscrolling”. That is, spending an excessive amount of time on digital content. Apparently it’s more prominent among young people, and more specifically among young men and people who actively follow political events. It has been linked to a decline in mental and physical health. Goodness! Reasons for doomscrolling include fear of missing out (maybe a reason why it increased during the covid lockdown), increased anxiety and attempts at gaining control over uncertainty.
One source I looked at suggested that doomscrolling can be compared to an older phenomenon from the 1970s called the mean world syndrome, described as "the belief that the world is a more dangerous place to live in than it actually is as a result of long-term exposure to violence-related content on television". Studies show that seeing upsetting news leads people to seek out more information on the topic, creating a self-perpetuating cycle.
Well, i know people who do just that! And the huge number of podcasts available nowadays simply make it all the more possible.
But in fact I think most of just spend an inordinate amount of time just “scrolling” without the “doom” element. This might explain the number of platitudes that people post on social media. Maybe we are all seeking for things of interest. Or maybe we all want to post things just to appear interesting. Of course, such judgements also apply to those of us who write blogs!
Anyway I have a collection of new expressions - well, new to me - similar to doomscrolling but maybe less worrying, which apply to the modern world. Here goes:-
- “Coffee badging” is when employees enter the office building briefly, tapping in with their identity badge, grab a coffee or mingle with colleagues before leaving to work the rest of the day from home.
- “Attention infidelity” is spending more time looking at your phone (doomscrolling?) when out on a date with your partner and not paying them any where near enough attention.
- “Microcheating” os a way of cheating on your partner but not acknowledging it as such: ‘liking’ posts by your partner’s friends, sending flirting Direct Messages to other people, taking a “look” at dating apps, exchanging numbers with someone you meet at a party - but not actually cheating!
- Resenteeism is when a person turns up to work, not really wanting to be there, physically present, going through the motions but is not mentally or emotionally present.
- Fauxductivity is when you give the appearance of doing something productive at the expense of doing any meaningful work. I suppose displacement activities come into this category - sharpening all your pencils before starting work, doing a sudoku puzzle rather than tidying the kitchen!
That’s enough of that nonsense.
I read that the Green Party leader has been banned from entering Israel after members of his party voted to define Zionism as racist. And the head of the Jewish Greens says she may well leave the party as a result of that vote. It must be odd to be Jewish and be accused of antisemitism and be denied entry to what is supposed to be your homeland!
Then there is the US Air Force which is reported to have pulled its bombers from RAF Fairford following an investigation into an alleged planned terror attack at the base. Most of us don’t think of the USA having bases here, largely because they are called RAF something or other. And yet there are approximately 11,000 US military personnel are stationed at these bases, along with civilian staff and family members. This presence is part of the broader military cooperation between the US and the UK, which has been ongoing since World War.
This is what the CND page has to say about it:
The United States military has had a continuous presence in the UK since the Second World War. Located throughout Britain, US military bases have contributed to illegal and immoral drone strikes, the transportation of weapons for military operations overseas, mass surveillance and the globally destabilising missile defence system. And now it looks like US nuclear weapons will even be based here.
And here is a link to a map showing the various bases spread around the country.
Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!
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